William Allan Neilson (28 March 1869 – 13 February 1946) was an American educator, writer and

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

, graduated in the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in 1891 and became a PhD in

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1898. He was president of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

between 1917 and 1939.

Biography

Neilson was born in

Doune Doune (; from Scottish Gaelic: , meaning 'the fort') is a burgh within Perthshire. The town is administered by Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk postcodes starting "FK". The village lies within the parish of Kilmadock and mainly with ...

, Scotland on 28 March 1869. He emigrated to the United States in 1895, being naturalised 3 August 1905. He taught at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

from 1898 to 1900,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

from 1900 to 1904, Columbia from 1904 to 1906, and Harvard again from 1906 to 1917. He served as President of Smith College from 1917 to 1939. Neilson was author of a number of critical works on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

and the

Elizabethan theatre The English Renaissance theatre or Elizabethan theatre was the theatre of England from 1558 to 1642. Its most prominent playwrights were William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Background The term ''English Renaissance theatr ...

, editor of the Cambridge and Tudor editions of Shakespeare (1906, 1911) and editor of '' Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition'' (1934). Less known is his translation of the famous late 14th century Middle English alliterative chivalric romance ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight''. Neilson was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1914 and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1944. He died at the Smith College infirmary in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

on 13 February 1946.

Works

''The Origins and Sources of the "Court of Love" ''
(1899) * ''Milton's Minor Poems'' (1909)
1919 edition

''Essentials of Poetry''
(1912) * with Ashley Horace Thorndike
The Facts About Shakespeare
(1913)
''Lectures on the Harvard Classics''
(1914)
Robert Burns, Project Gutenbergbooks.google
(1917)
Sir Gawain And The Green Knight (transl. by William Allan Neilson)
(1917) * with Ashley Horace Thorndike
''History of English Literature''
(1920)

References

External links

* * * * * Allison Lockwood,
Making of a president: Smith College's William Allan Neilson
" ''Daily Hampshire Gazette'', 8 May 2010.

at the

Smith College Archives Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college with coed graduate and certificate programs, located in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. The Smith College Archives document the life of the College by collecting mate ...

, Smith College Special Collections
Office of President William Allan Neilson files
at the

, Smith College Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, William Allan 1869 births 1946 deaths American lexicographers American literary critics Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish lexicographers Scottish literary critics Scottish scholars and academics Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Bryn Mawr College faculty Harvard University faculty Columbia University faculty People from Stirling (council area) Harvard University alumni Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America Presidents of Smith College Presidents of the Modern Language Association Members of the American Philosophical Society

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links